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Managing Ethical Decision Making in the Workplace

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Managing Ethical Decision Making in the Workplace
James E. Gleason
BUS 275-H01
Calhoun Community College

Abstract
Business leaders struggle to balance the desire for profit and maximum shareholder return with corporate ethics and social responsibility. Unfortunately, short-term financial bottom line has taken the place of maintaining strong moral character in today’s business practices. In the United States alone, about two-thirds of the top corporations have been guilty of some type of corporate malfeasance. In the face of both damaging and publicly embarrassing litigation, business leaders now recognize the need for sound, straightforward ethics management programs in their companies that makes ethical business practices a top priority at all times. Top executives must lead by example and actively and willingly encourage ethical behavior in their peers as well as employees. The need for stronger ethics in business has prompted business schools to critically examine their business curricula and place greater teaching emphasis on ethics and social responsibility to ensure future generations of new business graduates enter the workforce with the highest moral standards.
Keywords: ethics, social responsibility, malfeasance, business schools, business curricula

Managing Ethical Decision Making in the Workplace
Introduction
Ensuring that the necessary steps are taken to create and foster a high level of ethics in the business practices of the workplace is critically important regardless of the size of an organization. A commitment to a strong ethical code in the workplace involves treating stakeholders, both internal and external, with honesty, integrity and respect. Every workplace needs to identify and develop a set of core values representing the ethical ideals of the organization (Kerns, 2003). It is very important that well-defined, established ethical

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